Temperature-regulator



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' L. BELLA 8v F. H. ROOT. f TEMPERATURE REGULATUR.

No. 470,653. Patented Mar. 15, 1892.

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L. BELL & F. H. ROOT. TEMPERATURE RBGULATUR.

No. 470,653. Patented Mar. l15, 1892.

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Nirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS BELL AND FRANCIS H. ROOT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TEM PERATU Ria-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,653, dated March 15, 1892. Application filed J annary 14, 1890.4 Serial-No. 336,945. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itv known that We, LOUIS BELL and FRANCIS H. ROOT, both citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Temperature-Regulators, of Which the following is a specification. Our invention relates to a system of tem'- perature-regulation, and is designed to pro- .vide simple, economical, and highly-eiiicient means for automatically controlling the service of various heating agents-such as hot Water, steam, and gas--it being hereobserved that While highly serviceable and effective as a means for controlling the iioW of steam or hot Water to radiators,i.it is also particularly serviceable as a means for regulating the flow of, natural gas to such stoves or heaters as'may be supplied With such fuel. As a further incident, however, to our invention the opening and closing of a stove or furnace damper can be readily attained.

In carrying out our invention we provide a thermostat involving a hermctically-sealed chamber containing a volatile liquid and a movable abutment subject to pressure due to vapor-tension withinsuch chamber. By such arrangement We provide at a comparatively small cost a highly sensitive and efficient thermostat.- The movable abutment serves to operate a valve, which can be employed for several purposes. Thus the valve can be employed for opening and closing a passage through which gaseous fuel is supplied to a stove or heater, or it can be employed for controlling the supply of gaseous fuel to one or more burners arranged in conjunction with a device orregulator similar to the thermostat, but operated by the heat from a iiame or flames and employed for controlling either a damper or the tloW of steam or hot Water, an advantage of this last-mentioned arrangement being that the thermostat and the regulator can be arranged at any desired distance apart, and,if so desired, be arranged in different apartments. The thermostat itself may, however, directly control the iioW of steam or hot Water, as Well as gas, as Will In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1V represents in section an apparatus embodying the thermostat and regulator, with `the valve of the thermostat open and the valve of the regulator closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the valve 4of the4 thermostat closed and the valve of the regulator open. Fig. 3 illustrates, mainly in section, the thermostat and regulator With a damper subject to the latter. Fig. 4 is a central section through the thermostat, and represents it as being particularly adapted for directly controlling the flow of gas in a main service pipe or passage. Figs. 5 and 6 are like rviews with the valve in different positions. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7 in Fig. 5. j

In said drawings, A, Figs. l and 2,indicates a portion of a valved passage, which can be used for the delivery of gas, steam, or Water from asuitable source of supply to the heater or radiator or other apparatus to be supplied. The valve B for opening and closing this passage is subject to and operated by theaction `of a movable abutment C, which is in turn subjectto and operated by fluid-pressure Within a closed chamber. 1 As one of various` Ways in which this movable abutment can be constructed and arranged it may be and, as

herein shown, is formed iby a flexible diaphragm C, arranged Within a shell. or casing D and secured thereto along its edge portion. The valve B is connected with said diaphragm `or movable abutment, which latter divides the spacewithin the casing, so as to provide at one side of the diaphragm a closed chamlber d and leave at the opposite side of the f' diaphragm suitable Working space, as at d.

By such arrangement the diaphragm forms one of the-sides of the hermetically-sealed pressure-chamber d. When the movable abutment Which is thus formed by the flexible diaphragm is in its normal position., as in Fig. 2, the valve B Will be open, it being understood that the passage Acan of course be `provided with any suitable hand-operated cock. The movable abutment can be normally maintained in such position in anysuitable Wayas, for example, the diaphragm may have suficient inherent elasticity to cause it to normally assume a position which Will open the valve on its seat, or the diaphragm can be subject to a spring. The pressure-chamber IOO o from the pilot-flame.

d can be entirely filled with a fluid, which when subject to a sufficient increment of, heat will expand, so as to move the abutment C in a direction to cause the valve to close. In place, however, of thus entirely filling the pressure-chamber with a body of fiuid we may and prefer to place within such chamber a small quantity of some volatile fluide-such as ether, chloroform, or other duid-which will readily vaporize, in which way the pressure for operating the movable abutment will be due to the vapor tension within the pressurechamber, while the vapor tension will be dependentupon the degree of heat to which the4 wall or Walls of the pressure-chamber is or are exposed.

In order that the degree of vapor-tension within the pressurechamber may be controlled by external temperature, We provide a burner E for a pilot-flame, which is subject to and controlled by a thermostat F, under an arrangement, whereby when, for example, a desired temperature exists within such room or hall as the thermostat F may be arranged?,

the supply of gas for feeding the pilot-flame will be so small that the flame will be reduced to a minimum and be incapable of affording sufficient heat to raise the vapor-tension within the pressure-chamber d to an extent to cause the valve B to close, while on the other hand should said external temperature rise to an undesirable degree, the thermostat F will be so operated as to let onto the pilotflame burner a supply of gas sufficient to cause a flame which will at once so heat the contents of pressure-chamber d as to increase the vapor-tension therein and thereby operate the movable abutment and close either partially or entirely its allotted valve B. This operation cuts off or regulates the flow of steam', water, or gas through the supply-passage Ai, and hence permits the radiator or heater supplied therefrom to cool down.

WVith reference to further matters of construction the burner for the pilot-fiame is arranged to enter a chamber G, which may have its walls suitably perforated, so asto supply air to the `iame. The wall d2 ofi pressurechamber d is exposed within the ilot-flame chamber G, so that it may be subj ct to heat The thermostat F comprises a suitable case f, which contains a hermetically-sealed pressure-chamber f ,having two opposing walls, one of which is formed by a movable 'abutment H, (preferably consisting of a flexible diaphragm,) while the opposite wall f2 is desirably formed by a thin metal plate that is I f corrugated in order to provide an increased exposure of surface to the external air. The

f pressu re-chamberf contains a small quantity of some highly-Volatile fiuid, such as hereinbefore described, in connection with the pressure-chamber d, it beingobserved that while the pressure due ei-ther to the expansion of a body of fluid or to vapor-tension y lwithin pressure-chamber d results from the heating capacity of the pilot-dame, the corresponding pressure within pressure-chamber f is due to the heat of the surrounding air.

As an illustration of the way in which the feed of gas to the pilot-flame can be controlled bythe movable abutment H, the chamber f3 at one side of said movable abutment connects with a supply-pipe I, through the medium of a valved port K, and connects with the delivery-pipe L through the medium of an open passage l. The valve k for opening and closing port K is connected with and operated by the movable abutment H, and is normally closed, as in Fig. 2-that is to say, at a proper or desirable temperature, the position of the movable abutment I-I will be such as to hold the valve 7a closed. When, however, the vapor-tension within chamber f is such as to subject the movable abutment H to what may be regarded as more than normal pressure, the valve will be opened, as in Fig. 1, so as to allow a supply of gas to flow to the pilot-flame burner. When the valve of the thermostat is closed, it is desirable that there should still be a supply to tho pilotfiame burner sufficient to maintain a small fiame, which will be in readiness for augmentation as soon as the thermostat-valve has opened. To such endiwe provide the chamber f4, which is intermediate of pipe I and chamber f3, and which-forms part of a general passage-Way, with a by-passage consisting of a small port or orifice f5, through which, when so desired, gas may escape into the passage at the delivery side of valve cas, for example, into the portion Z of the general passage-way. This port f5 can be opened or closed or varied in area by any suitable valve-as, for example, by a set-screwM, having oneend adapted to form a valve.

The thermostat can be adjusted so that it will respond to any determinate increase of temperature. This adjustment can be attained in various Ways,the principle involved being to render the movable abutment more or less responsive. As an illustration of a Way in which this desired result can be attained, we have pivoted within chamber f3 a .leverN and arranged between one end of said lever and the movable abutment H a spring I). The other end of this lever is engaged by an adjusting-screw Q, which can be adjusted so as to vary the degree of compression of the spring between the lever and the movable abutment. By such arrangement the lever can be positioned so that the degree of springresistance in opposition to the movement 5f the movable abutment in a direction to open the valve can be determined with great nicety, and hence the thermostat can be set to respond only to such degree of heat as may suit the occupant of the room or other person interested in its temperature.

In Fig. 3 the pilot-flame is controlled by a thermostat F, similar to that hereinbefore described. In this figure, however, the movable abutment C corresponds with the mov- IOO `ourselves to any particular construction.

As hereinbefore stated, the valve of the thermostat is normally closed, While the valve Vwhich serves to open and close the supplypassage leading to a radiator or heater is normally open. It is understood, however, that in practice such supply-passage either at the radiator or heater or at any desired point will as a matter of course be provided with a suitable cock Which can be opened and closed by hand.

In Figs. l, 5, 6, and 7 We have shown the thermostat more particularly adapted to serve as a means for directly establishing and cutting ott the iiovv of gas/from asuitable source of supply to a stove or heater. Y

This apparatus is particularly adapted for controlling the flow of natural gas, although of course it can loe employed for controlling the iioW of steam or Water or any gaseous fuel. In said iigures the movable abutment H can be subject toA vapor-tension within the pressure-chamber f', as in preceding ligu res.

The valve U is connected with the movable abutment and is normally open, so that gas may flow from the supply portion S ot' the passage-.Way to the delivery portion S thereof, or from the latter to the former, according to vwhich portion is intended to be at-the delivery side of the Valve. Alby-passage consisting of a small aperture can be provided to permit such leakage as Will prevent the llame in the stove or heater from being entirely eX- tinguished when the valve U is closed upon its seat T, anda small valve lV can be provided for closing and openin g said aperture. In said' figures We have also shown a spring and lever similar to the spring and lever in preceding figures. Vhile, therefore, the thermostat illustrated inthe last four figures corresponds generally with the thermostat ot' the preceding iigures, it Will be noted that, in place of employing it to control the supply of gas to a pilot-flame, We employ it to control the ilow of gas through a main service pipe or passage, of which S and S represent two portions.

In Fig. 3 the lever N is a spring-lever, and hence the spring P (shown in preceding iigures) is dispensed With.

Claims for certaindetails in the construction of the thermostat herein shown are now `made by us in our application, Serial No.

368,426, tiled October 17, 1890, as a division of this application.

What We claim as our invention isl. In a system of temperature-regulation, a closed fluid-chamber containing a suitable fluid, a movable abutment subject to pressure within said chamber, and suitable means for applying the heat of a pilot-flame to heat the iiuid within said chamber, so as to create pressure therein.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbeforc set forth, of a closed duid-chamber containing a suitable fluid, a movable abutment subject to pressure Within said chamber, means for applying the heat of a pilottlame as an agent for` heating the Huid, a suitable source of supply for feeding the pilot- Iiame, and a thermostat for automatically controlling fthe supply to said pilot-flame.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a closed chamber containing. a suitable fluid, a movable abutment subject to pressure within said chamber, a

valved passage having its valve controlled by the movable abutments, means tor applying the heat of a pilot-flame as an agent for heating the iiuid Within said chamber,a suitable source of supply for feeding 'the pilotlame, and a thermostat for automatically controlling such supply.

LOUIS BELL.y FRANCIS H. ROOT.

Witnesses:

CRAs. G. PAGE, ANNIE L. CoATEs. 

